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John McEnroe

Quickly From College To Pro



McEnroe did not collect any money for his participation in the 1977 Wimbledon tournament. He chose instead to retain his amateur status and returned to America to attend Stanford, remaining there only long enough to bring Stanford an NCAA Championship in tennis, in 1978. He turned pro after his freshman year, in 1978, going on to reach the semi-finals of the U.S. Open that first year, ascending in the world rankings to sixth and making his way onto the Davis Cup team. It was not often that such a young player handled the intense international competition of Davis Cup play so well. But young McEnroe did, helping his team beat England and securing the first U.S. Davis Cup victory in six years. By the end of the season McEnroe had received the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Newcomer of the Year Award and finished ranked number four in the world.



McEnroe's fame seemed to rise in conjunction with his attendance at Wimbledon. Though he was eliminated in the first round in 1978—just one year after making it to the semi-finals as an amateur—he returned in 1979 and made it to the fourth round. His disappointment at not winning was relieved a few months later when he won the U.S. Open, the youngest player to do so since 1948. At the end of the season he again led the U.S. Davis Cup team to victory, keeping the cup in America for a second straight year (he also served on the winning cup team in '81 and '82, as well as in 1992).

Awards and Accomplishments

On winning Davis Cup team: (as player) 1978-79, 1981-82, 1992. In Davis Cup play he holds American Davis Cup records for wins, ties played, years played and singles wins (41). McEnroe retired with a singles record of 856 wins, 158 losses and 75 titles.
1977 Tennis magazine's Rookie of the Year
1977 Wins French Open mixed doubles
1978 Wins NCAA Championship singles; Italian Indoor Championship doubles
1978 All-American; Association of Tennis Professionals Newcomer of the Year
1978-84, 1987-91 Member of United States Davis Cup Team
1979 Wins U.S. Open singles; Italian Indoor Championship doubles
1979-81, 1983-85 Ranked #1 in the world by Association of Tennis Professionals
1980 Wins U.S. Open singles; U.S. Indoor Championship singles; The Masters doubles; WCT Tournament of Champions doubles; U.S. Indoor Championship doubles; U.S. Clay Court Championship doubles; U.S. Pro Indoor doubles
1981 Wins U.S. Open singles; U.S. Open doubles; Wimbledon singles and Wimbledon doubles; WCT Tournament of Champions doubles; ATP Championship singles and ATP Championship Doubles
1981 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
1982 Wins ATP Championship doubles; U.S. Pro Indoor singles
1983 Wins U.S. Open doubles; Wimbledon singles and Wimbledon doubles; U.S. Indoor Championship singles; U.S. Pro Indoor singles
1983 Association of Tennis Professionals Player of the Year
1983-84 International Tennis Federation Player of the Year
1984 Wins U.S. Open singles; Wimbledon singles and Wimbledon doubles; Canadian Open singles and Canadian Open doubles; The Masters singles; U.S. Pro Indoor doubles; U.S. Pro Indoor singles
1985 Wins The Masters singles; U.S. Pro Indoor singles; Canadian Open singles
1989 Wins Hardcourt Championship singles
1999 Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Whatever Happened to? John McEnroe

For some sportsmen there is no such thing as retirement, not really. Their game has usually chosen them, rather than the other way round, and they never lose respect for that fact…. McEnroe's forthcoming autobiography is not called Serious for nothing. Out on court at the Albert Hall he is giving a full house a perfect impression of the man and the player he always was: creating every angle, arguing every call, staring at every line, making every volley, torturing himself over every missed ball.

Source: The Observer (London, England) (February 3, 2002)

McEnroe's return to Wimbledon in 1980 culminated in one of the more famous finals in the history of tennis. Many felt it was one of the best moments in sports history. In the forth set of the Wimbledon finals McEnroe launched an intense rivalry with Swedish tennis superstar Bjorn Borg. McEnroe and Borg entered a tiebreaker in the fourth set. Neither man would break, and it finally took McEnroe 34 points (22 minutes—one of the longest tiebreakers in Grand Slam history) to win the set. It was not enough, however, as Borg came back to win the match (1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6), taking his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. McEnroe recaptured his pride later that year when he took his second U.S. Open title, beating Borg 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4.

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